You'll never walk alone
by EvaWilde
Summary: Claire was saved from the claws of Black Jack by her loving husband and his friends. But now she and Jaime cannot leave castle Leoch as it's too dangerous. Claire continues to work as a healer and learns much about her new family, especially about the clan's war chief. The more she learns the more her opinions of them change. (Claire/Dougal, Claire/Jaime)


**Author's note:** _Hi, everyone! This fic is based entirely on the TV series. I decided to write this mainly because I'm completely in love with Dougal MacKenzie (thanks to the gorgeous Graham MacTavish) and I like Claire, so I wanted to fantasize about how did the war chief of clan MacKenzie become the man we know and love and what his relationship with Claire could be like if she got to know him well. And how would that change her relationship with Jaime and Frank. This is my first fanfic in English, so I'd be eternally grateful if you point out any mistakes and give me a review. I hope you enjoy it!_

_I obviously don't own any of the characters)) Not making money, just having fun))_

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><p>- What have we here? – Randall asked as he bent over and pulled her sgian-dubh out of her shoe.<p>

- My my… The lady has claws! – he chuckled as he ripped her dress off her shoulder - Are they sharp?

Claire was too scared and disgusted to do anything except whimper. Gathering all her courage and hatred, she looked defiantly at the dagger that was slowly moving from her throat down to her breasts.  
>- Are they? – Black Jack whispered seductively as he stroked her nipple with the blade. The feeling of cold sharp metal on her skin sent chills down Claire's spine. Knowing how much that sadist enjoyed his sickening games, she didn't even want to try to imagine what he was going to do to her.<br>Suddenly they heard the shutters on the window being smashed open. Claire felt Randall instinctively push the knife against her throat. She looked up and a wave of both panic and hope washed over her as she saw Jaime sitting on the window-sill, aiming a musket at Randall.  
>- I'll thank you to take your hands off my wife! – growled Jaime through gritted teeth.<br>Claire couldn't see Randall's face, but judging by the smug surprise in his voice he wasn't at all unhappy about this unexpected visit from a victim of his violence.  
>- Good God! – Black Jack laughed, staring at Jaime as if seeing him again was too good to be true – Why, if it isn't…<br>But he didn't get a chance to welcome his uninvited guest, as at that same moment the door swung open behind them. Still holding Claire down, Randall turned around only to see none other than his arch foe Dougal MacKenzie swiftly cross the room and hit him hard on the head with the hilt of his sword before the officer could react. Claire felt Randall's grip on her hands loosen and his knees give way. Dougal grabbed him by the collar, threw the unconscious officer back and immediately turned to Claire, pulling down her skirt and helping her up. In an instant Jaime was at her side, hugging her, trying to cover her torso with the torn fabric of her dress and whispering gentle, consoling words Claire didn't really listen to. Her whole body was shaking and her eyes were fixed on the man, who only a few moments ago was going to rape and torture her and was now lying on his back in front of the fireplace, while Dougal was searching his pockets.  
>- Dougal, man! Leave him be, we've got to get out of here! – Jaime said, taking off his coat and wrapping it around Claire's shoulders. – Dougal, come on!<br>But MacKenzie took no notice of him. Having found nothing interesting in the captain's pockets, he turned to his desk. There were few papers on it, which Dougal quickly glanced through and threw aside. Then he grabbed the bottle of wine, that Claire and Randall were drinking from earlier, took a huge gulp and shoved it into Jaime's hands.  
>- Drink up, you're gonna need it! Both o'ye! – Dougal said as he began to open the draws.<br>- Here, drink - Jaime said softly lifting the bottle to Clair's lips – It'll make you feel better in a jiffy.

Still shaking all over, Claire opened her mouth and took several sips. She relaxed a bit when she felt the sweet spicy liquid fill her mouth and flow down her throat.  
>- Aye, that's better – Jaime smiled lifting the bottle to her lips again.<br>- Bloody hell!  
>Claire and Jaime simultaneously looked at a stunned, but excited Dougal who was staring at a piece of paper.<br>- What is it?! – Jaime asked, wiping his mouth with his hand. Dougal didn't answer. He quickly folded the parchment, stuffed it into his breast pocket and picked up another one.  
>Suddenly they heard hurried footsteps. Jaime quickly stood in front of Claire, aiming his musket at the door. Claire's heart jumped up and got stuck in her throat as the steps drew nearer. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw Murthagh rush into the room.<br>- They've seen him! – he said urgently – We're going to have company very soon.  
>- Seen whom? – Claire asked, trying to stop her voice from shaking.<br>- That wee corporal, Dougal and I left under the stairs – Murtagh answered – We've doused him with whisky, so it'd look like he's drunk, but they'll soon ken what's happened. They didn't see me, so we still have about ten minutes, but we've gotta go now!  
>- Dougal, for Christ's sweet sake, come on! – Jaime groaned.<br>- Aye, let's go! – Dougal answered, shoving a whole handful of Randal's papers into his coat and putting his sword back into the scabbard – Murthagh's right. If they think Black Jack's _entertaining_ _his guest_, they won't be coming near here for a while. Out the window, all of you!  
>Murtagh nodded, nimbly climbed onto the window-sill and jumped down.<br>- You're next, Claire – Jaime smiled encouragingly and offered her his hand. Claire lifted up her skirt, rather clumsily climbed onto the window-sill and saw Murtagh standing on the castle wall right under the window. She squatted, carefully slid down and landed right in Murtagh's hands as he caught her by the waist. Claire glanced around and realized that Randall's windows were on the second floor on the east part of the South tower. Jaime soon followed Claire, and the last one to leave Randall's study was Dougal, who tried to close the shutters as best he could when he slid down.  
>- To the old gates, quickly! – Dougal whispered.<br>- We can't walk the castle walls – Claire said horrified – They'll see us!  
>- Not if we reach the gates before the guards find Randall – MakKenzie smirked – It's cloudy and pitch dark so it's hard to see anything. And the redcoats here are so used to their quiet life they don't bother watching the walls, except when they're on round once every hour. We don't have much time, so be quiet and do as you're told!<br>Trying to tread as lightly as they possibly could, the four of them ran in direction of the old east gate. For many years it had been shut up and blocked by huge logs and new houses. Regardless of what Dougal had said, Claire's stomach was in knots from fear. Every now and then she glanced around the old fortress. Several lights were lit in the South and Central towers and everything seemed quiet.  
>They reached the old gate safely. Now the way lay down thick slimy logs that were leaned against the wall and over straw roofs of several small buildings. Dougal climbed down first. Holding on to the edge of the wall he caught the nearest log between his legs and hung on to it as he signaled Claire to climb down. Jaime gripped her by the wrists and gently lowered her down. Just like Dougal, she quickly caught the log between her knees, let go of Jaime's hands and quickly caught Dougal's. As soon as he was sure that Claire was holding on tight, MacKenzie slid nimbly down the log. Claire followed, trying to climb as carefully as she could. Of course, her wretched dress wasn't exactly helping. Jaime and Murtagh came right after her. As soon as all four of them were safe on the ground, Dougal lifted a finger to his lips and waved his hand, signaling them to follow him quietly. They bent down as they passed under the windows of several small houses and soon dived into a dark arch. Suddenly they heard a trumpet signaling the alarm and windows quickly lighting up in all of the towers.<br>- Damn and blast! – Jaime hissed– The bastards're faster than we kenned.  
>- We'll make it if we don't run into any of the redcoats – Murtagh whispered.<br>- We'll make it even if we do – Dougal grinned – We have no choice.  
>Then he leaned against the wall and pressed Claire and Jaime with his arm as close to it as he could. Next thing Claire knew several redcoats were running by their hiding place in direction of the South tower. Luckily, they didn't notice the escapees.<br>- How do we get out?! – Claire whispered.  
>- The same way we got in – Jaime answered– Through the stables!<br>- What?!  
>- Quiet! – Dougal hissed, throwing them one of his glares, that Claire was starting to get used to.<br>Murtagh cautiously peeked into the dark corridor on the other end of the arch.  
>- Looks safe – he whispered.<br>- Aye, they're not likely to go through here when it's so dark – Dougal whispered, drawing his sword and dagger – We run to the next arch as fast as we can and make to the stables from there. If anything bigger than a rat stands in the way, kill it. I'll go first, Murtagh, you go last. Come on!  
>Claire had never run so fast in her entire life. She couldn't see anything and had to rely on her senses and on Jaime, who was holding her hand. Claire had no idea how on earth these highlanders could orientate themselves in the dark, but they seemed confident. Finally she saw a very dim light at the end of the corridor – they finally reached the next arch. They stopped in front of it. Dougal cautiously peeked around the corner, but pulled back immediately. Claire thought she saw him point in both directions and lift two fingers. Murtagh pushed her and Jaime back and he and Dougal silently slipped out it opposite directions. In a few seconds Claire heard the muffled sound of falling bodies. Jaime peeked around and having made sure it was safe, grabbed Claire by the arm and dragged her towards a long wooden building that most likely was the stable. Dougal and Murtagh were running behind them. Claire looked around as they ran and saw that now all of the fort towers were ablaze with light and soldiers were running in every direction.<p>

Happily the stable wasn't far so they got to it successfully. As they ran in, Claire saw the bodies of several stablemen lying on the floor. Jaime and Murtagh went straight into one of the stalls and started to clear the hay off its floor, while Dougal was running around the stable with a burning torch in his hand untying the horses and setting fire to the hay. In a few minutes the whole stable was ablaze and the frightened horses were running to the exit. Finally Jaime and Murtagh managed to open the secret trap door. Murtagh jumped in first.

- Claire, hurry up! – Jaime shouted as he sat on the edge.  
>But Claire took no notice of him. She continued to stand at the stall's entrance, choking on the acrid smoke and trying to spot Dougal. Being in the army had taught her never to leave comrades behind, so she wasn't going anywhere until she was sure Dougal would find the way out of this fiery hell. At last she saw MakKenzie running towards her, his plaid covering his nose and mouth. He grabbed her by the arm and threw her into the tunnel where she was caught by Jaime's waiting hands. Dougal jumped in after her, threw Murtagh his torch and closed the trap door as tightly as he could. Holding the torch in front of him Murtagh ran ahead through the dirty narrow tunnel, the others following him. Claire had no idea how long they'd been running, but they stopped when the air was long clear of smoke and she was long out of breath. They leaned against the slimy walls for a couple of minutes trying to catch their breath and then resumed their journey. Only this time Claire was more than happy to walk.<br>- Where are we going? – she asked when her breath evened.  
>- This tunnel leads to the shore wood, a couple of miles from the fort – Murtagh answered – Angus and Rupert are waiting for us at the exit with the horses.<br>- How did you find out about the secret passage?

- Dougal used to know an engineer who served at Fort William, until he was forced to flee because of his political opinions – Jaime said– Even though a sassenach, the man was faithful to our cause. He told Dougal everything he knew about that blasted castle. Dougal had already made good use of the knowledge once before, when he was escaping from Fort William himself.  
>Claire was very surprised to hear this.<br>- Dougal was a prisoner at Fort William?!  
>- Aye – Jaime nodded - In 1716. For a little while.<br>- In 1716? So you took part in the first jacobite uprising of 1715? – Claire asked.  
>She was getting more interested in war chief's biography by the second. It seemed like it was far more exciting than just a calm life at castle Leoch and his estate at Beannachd. It seems Dougal got his title by being something more than just a brother to the laird.<br>- That's none of your business! – Dougal hissed.

Claire sighed with irritation. The man was insufferable even in a good mood, let alone a bad one.  
>- Anyway, it's strange that the entrance to the secret passage wasn't built in the Central tower! – She said in a vexed tone and looked Jaime. He didn't answer. Just smiled and shrugged his shoulders.<br>- Aye, that would've made more sense – Dougal grumbled – But they couldn't build it there, because of the well. The ground water is too close to risk digging another tunnel under the foundation.  
>- Oh! – Claire nodded feeling quite pleased that Mackenzie deigned to explain.<br>- Now shut your mouth and keep walking! We're not on holiday at Oxfordshire, you know – Dougal added sarcastically.  
>Claire glared daggers at him and remained silent for the rest of the journey.<br>The torch was going out when they finally reached a small round door the end of the tunnel. It was about two meters above the ground and had a small round handle in the center. Murtagh gave the torch to Jaime, jumped up and grabbed the handle. The door flung open and a pile of grass and dirt fell straight on Murtagh's head. He jumped clear, shaking it off and muttering curses in Gaelic. They looked up and saw Angus and Rupert looking down at them.  
>- So, did you have a pleasant trip, mistress? – Rupert asked cheekily.<p>

- You'll be having a very pleasant trip with my sword up your ass, if the horses aren't ready by the time we come up – Dougal answered in a menacing tone.

-I was just joking! – Rupert said looking rather hurt and disappeared.  
>- Come lass – Angus said holding out his hand. Jaime put his hands around Claire's waist and lifted her up. She caught Angus's arm with one hand and the doorway edge with the other, pulled herself up and climbed out easily. Claire took several deep breaths of fresh air, sat down on the soft grass and watched the men climb out of the tunnel with a smile on her face. Murtagh came first, then Jaime and finally Dougal. When all of them were out, Angus closed the door, covered it up with grass and put a rock on top.<br>- I'm afraid that was the last time we used that tunnel – sighed Dougal – I hope the redcoats won't find the door, when they clear up the stable, but…  
>- What did you burn it down for? – asked Jaime.<br>- Firstly, so the redcoats wouldn't be able to come after us through the tunnel! We had no help in the castle, so we couldn't cover up the door properly and with all the commotion, they would have searched the stable sooner or later – Dougal answered, sounding slightly irritated - Secondly, to buy us some time. They were too busy fighting the fire to search the neighborhood right away. But they'll be scouring these woods soon enough, which is why we need to get to loch Mullardoch and meet the others as soon as possible.

Claire sighed. She was so tired, she could barely move, and the last thing she wanted to do right now was ride for another whole day. But she knew Dougal was right. They had to get away from this cursed place. She got up, walked slowly to her horse and climbed up. The only upside to the whole plan was that at the end of the journey she would be able to eat a delicious meal, wash it down with some ale, have a chat with Ned Gowan and then stretch out in front of the fire next to Jaime. And he'd better not ask her to fulfill her wifely duty in the nearest bushes! At least not until she got some proper rest.  
>"Drat the man! Doesn't he ever get tired?" Claire thought as she watched Dougal jump into the saddle and gallop away. The other men followed him.<br>- Come on, sassensch! –Jaime smiled as he rode up to her – We've got a long way to go!  
>Claire gritted her teeth and followed suit.<p> 


End file.
